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Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center and Museum Summer 2013
Wikun Village News©
“Shinnecock”“Shinnecock”“Shinnecock”———People of the Stony ShoresPeople of the Stony ShoresPeople of the Stony Shores
Cover Photos
Above: Ahna Cuffee (left) with Rachel Valdez-Castillo (right) sewing in the Wikun Village
Photo By Matthew Ballard ([email protected])
Below: Shinnecock Bay
Photo by Tohanash Tarrant
Inside Cover Photo
David Martine in the Wikun Village dressed in 18th century
Shinnecock attire.
Photo By Eileen Dugan
Published By:
The Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center
and
Museum
“Promoting awareness,
Understanding and an
Appreciation of Shinnecock History and Culture.”
Executive Board
Winonah Warren, President
Elizabeth Haile,
Vice President/Secretary
Lucille Bosley, Treasurer
Edwin Garrett,
President Emeritus
Board Members
Claudette Cogbill-Bryant
Mabel Cuffee
Linda Franklin
Dennis King
Cassio Norwood
Brenda Scott
The Shinnecock Nation Cultural
Center and Museum is funded in
part by the Administration for
Native Americans (ANA). U.S.
Dept. of Health and Human
Services.
Inside this Issue:
3 Director’s Corner - “It is with great enthusiasm that we hosted the recent
reopening at the Museum for the 2013 season and our redesigned exhibitions
and galleries.” -D. Martine
4 Wikun Village Grand Opening Photos- A Photo collection documenting some the
opening weekend of the Wikun Village.
5 Editor’s Note - Maintaining the Momentum -T. Tarrant
5 Wikun Woodland Adventures—New Ecotourism opportunity on Shinnecock.
8 News in Brief
7 Upcoming Events
5 & 8 Indian Mariners Project- “The Indian Mariners Project explores the history of and
ongoing relationship between Native people and the sea.” -J. Mancini
6-7 Warrior Visions- Just over a year past since the tragic car accident that took the
lives of two young Shinnecock men, Jason “Tek” King and Duane “DL” Lee White Jr.,
Natahne (Nah-Taw-Nee) Dennis has reached out to the Shinnecock Museum to
honor the life of Mr. King, who was her late boyfriend of eight years.
9 Journey Back Capital Campaign– Donor Recognition Opportunities. - A. Godoy
10-11 Join the Museum’s Membership– Learn about how you can support the
Museum by joining our membership today!
Featured Articles
Wikun Village News© Summer 2013
W e recently had a
public lecture at the Museum,
“Preserved on the Mighty
Water; The Indian Mariners
Project”, given by Dr. Jason
Mancini. It was a great event
and was well attended. We
will be doing more lectures in the coming months.
I would like to thank Dr. Mancini for his information
and for all those who participated. With the aid of
modern technology and good research, a lot can
be learned about our history and ancestry.
I recorded my Grandmother, Alice Bunn Martinez,
in the early 80’s speaking about her recollections
of her relatives who were whalers. Below is an
excerpt from the recording:
“There was no method to bring back people on
ship-board who died - so they had to bury them at
sea wherever they were. I had one Great-uncle
who was buried on the island of St. Helena were
Napoleon was exiled. His name was William Cuffee
he was my Grandmother’s brother. Another Great-
uncle, Charles Bunn was buried in Greenland.
I don’t know how my Grandfather met my
Grandmother. There was Scotch blood in the family
presumably from Dundee, Scotland where there
was a large whaling port. David Bunn, my
Grandfather, had a captain’s license but he never
sailed as captain. He was first-mate. He had to
have a captain’s license so that if something
David Bunn Martine
Director’s Corner happened to the captain he would be qualified to take over.
He spent many years during the [latter part of the 19th
century whaling. After petroleum had been discovered,
whale oil wasn’t as much in demand as it had been.] It was
so hard to get out and back again. He decided to come
home and farm. He said his children were growing up
around him. The last was still small. He wanted his children
to be near him.
Many times in heavy storms the Montauk Lighthouse and
Ponquogue Lighthouse looked almost identical. Many time
boats would mistakenly come ashore between
Westhampton and Montauk. There were over 400 wrecks.
On the trips they made in the Arctic Circle, they got whale
and seals if they had any ability on the 2 ½ year voyage out
and back. They got whale to try them out in big vats to fill
the barrels with oil. They would take the whalebone Ivory
and they would carve them into ornaments.
My grandfather made several things: we had an ivory hand
he carved in 1865 the year my father, Charles Bunn, was
born as the oldest son. He knew that when he arrived home
he would see his baby for the first time. It had a gold ring on
the finger and was very realistically carved as the head of an
ebony cane which he had gotten somewhere in the South
Pacific. He brought that back to my grandmother. He also
had a sword with shark’s teeth but I never saw that. My
father just told us about it.”
I recommend to Shinnecock people to record the elders
stories. They help us learn about our culture and are
irreplaceable. We will be conducting an oral history
program at the Museum in the coming months as well.
-David Martine, Director/Curator
We are proud to announce, the Wikun Village is now
officially open! We’d like to thank our Board, volunteers
and all those who also gave generously to make this Village
reality. The Grand Opening took place this Memorial Day
Weekend, May 25-27, 2013. Festivities included, story
telling, children’s workshops, live dance performances by
the Kingfisher Dance Troupe and Native food sale. The
Museum hosted a Community Dinner to honor our Tribal
leadership and all that helped bring the Village to life. It
was a fun filled weekend and the perfect kick off for the
summer!
The Kingfisher Dance Troupe (above) perform at the Grand Opening of the
Wikun Village. Members include: Danielle Hill, Jonathan Perry, Leah Hopkins
and James Hakenson (left to right). (All photos by Matthew Ballard.)
Wikun Village Now Open!
Note from the Editor:
The opening of the Wikun Village has really happened! In a somewhat surreal state we passed this Memorial Day Weekend. Watching years of planning go by in a matter of hours. The series of events started with the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, Preview Week and ended with the Grand Opening. The Wikun (Wee-Gun) Village is now open and fully operational.
Congratulations to Diette Kellis, our 2013 Membership Drive winner! With membership at it’s highest it has been in many years, there are many reasons to celebrate.
To keep the momentum going, we are continually adding to our offerings. This month, we have added a uniquely Native/holistic and cozy camping experience. This getaway is perfect for all those eco-tourists that visit the Hamptons. When it boils down to it, visitors and locals alike can enjoy the many seasons of nature “Out East” and so this is perfect for those seeking a new and awesomely organic adventure.
Museum Staff
David Bunn Martine, Director/Curator
Andrea Godoy, Assistant Director
Matauqus Tarrant, Site Manager/Lead Trainee
Tohanash Tarrant, Office Manager/Administrative Assistant/Editor
June Marshall, Office Assistant
Delores Long, Gift Shop Assistant
Edward Terry, Gift Shop Assistant
Ray Clendenin, Maintenance
Wikun Woodland
Adventures Now
Available!
TO RESERVE A WEEKEND CALL: 631.235.1646
This Exclusive Offer Includes:
A beautiful location near Hampton Bays, NY.
Native American tour guides that will give you the experience of a lifetime.
Traditional Native American food, dancing & singing.
Kayaking, canoeing, hiking & other activities.
Camping on 100 acres of beautiful, unspoiled
Shinnecock territory!
Indian Mariners Project comes to Shinnecock
On Thursday June 6, 2013 Dr. Mancini, a senior
researcher for the Mashantucket Pequot Museum
and Research Center, gave a lecture on his latest
project which has taken him around the world
retracing the steps of North Eastern Native
whalers. Mancini shared his findings including
information regarding Shinnecock men and other
Long Island Native Peoples. The following is an
excerpt taken from his blog.
T he Indian Mariners Project explores the
history of and ongoing relationship between
Native people and the sea. A principal goal of
the project is to create and share with public,
school, and academic audiences a series of
digital maps revealing the dynamic social
networks and global traveling histories of American Indian mariners during the
19th century. This project research is grounded in a rich and accessible archival
record relating to the active commercial Yankee whale fishery and Indian
crewmembers, including: ship’s logbooks; crew lists and other federal customs
records; tribal-held archival materials; as well as descendants’ family stories,
images, diaries, and objects.
(Continued on Page 8)
Warren Bunn Shinnecock Whaler.
J ust over a year past since the tragic car
accident that took the lives of two young
Shinnecock men, Jason “Tek” King and
Duane “DL” Lee White Jr., Natahne (Nah-
Taw-Nee) Dennis has reached out to the
Shinnecock Museum to honor the life of
Mr. King, who was her late boyfriend of
eight years. “There’s more to him than
him riding around in his drop top Chevy
being a cool guy.” Natahne, also a
member of the Shinnecock Nation, knew
Jason as a man of many talents. His
passion for cars and natural leadership
abilities were merely the visible sides of
him that many knew. Natahne says Jason
had gone through five cars and numerous
paint jobs, which she jokingly says was the spur of
disagreements. But it was the other facets of his life that
reached deeper and was what Natahne was drawn to and
felt that people should know.
Growing up on the Shinnecock
Reservation, Natahne had always
known Jason as a friend of her
older brother Naike and their
cousins. As the little sister, she would tag along as they
played at her Grandma’s or other houses around the ‘Rez’.
She admits, she never took serious interest in him growing
up. After dating for several months, on Halloween they
made their relationship official. Ever since that time,
Natahne grew to love his depth and sincerity. “You’d be
surprised what you find out about a person”, Natahne
said, expressing her surprise at finding out about his
talents. “You can’t judge a book by its cover”.
Jason expressed his creativity in many ways. “His brain was
always going”, Natahne recalls that Jason would jump out
of bed to write ideas in his notepad that would come to
him in the middle of the night. Through his paintings,
clothing lines, written works and photography, King
expressed his love for his culture and the natural beauty
around him. Over the years he has produced several
clothing lines; 80’s Baby, Spit, and Evitan
Couture. 80s Baby is influenced by the styles of
the 80’s and Hip Hop of its era. Spit included
graffiti style painted shoes and shirts. His most
recent clothing line, Etivan (Native) Couture and
paintings “Hoka Hey Series”, pays tribute to the American
Indian Movement and Native Peoples’ history.
“He would feel good to have his work displayed in his own
home. He was all about Shinnecock,” Dennis remembers,
laughing softly.
Included in the exhibit of Jason’s art at the Shinnecock
Nation Cultural Center and Museum, August 1 – October 1,
2013, will be work of a younger Shinnecock artist
contributed through the newly formed Shinnecock
Foundation of Arts. “[Jason] would have definitely been
involved with the Shinnecock Foundation of Arts”, Natahne
says. King was always very hands on and playful with kids,
earning him nick names like “Uncle Pickles” or
Warrior Visions
Jason King (July 1, 1978-April 24, 2012) Venice Beach, California.
(Photo by Natahne Dennis.)
By Tohanash Tarrant
“He would feel good to have his
work displayed in his own home.
He was all about Shinnecock.”
“Uncle Cookies”, for reasons
Natahne couldn’t exactly
explain.
In 2010, King channeled his love
for young people by co-founding
the Young Men of Shinnecock
(YMS). The YMS tribal program
provides positive outlets for
young Shinnecock men between
the ages of 16 and 21 (and up)
that wish to contribute to their
community by organizing trips,
clean up days and community
service activities such as
assisting elders and volunteering
at the Shinnecock Museum. For
Jason, mentoring came
naturally. “He was someone
that a lot of the youths and a lot
of the adults in his circle looked up to.” By turning his own life
around, he was able to share his experiences and be that
person that people would come to ask for a ride to school, or
in some cases, a ride down to their parole officers. Natahne
says that Mothers would even call on him to talk with their
sons when they were going through hard times.
On November 22nd, just seven months after Jason began his
journey into the spirit world, Natahne gave birth to their baby
girl, Jaycen Madi King. Now seven months old, baby Jaycen is
already showing traits she no doubt inherited from her dad.
With a bright smile and strong spirit Jaycen is a born jokester.
Unable to cry without laughing in between, Natahne says,
“Jaycen makes me feel his spirit in her personality.”
When asked about how she will tell Jaycen about her father,
Natahne pauses then recalls a day where she was feeling really
down about her situation and one of Jason’s boys from YMS
came up to her and asked to see baby Jaycen. “That just made
my day”, he said, looking back at Natahne. Natahne says with a
sense of security, “Baby Jaycen will have all those people
who’ll be able to tell her the affect Jason had on them.”
For a young man of 33 years, Jason exhibited a great
number of talents and abilities and promise for the
future of the Shinnecock Nation. By recognizing these
attributes and sharing them through an exhibit hosted
by the Shinnecock Museum, Natahne hopes to convey
a vision of Jason “Tek” King that is reflective of him as
a whole.
Jason King wearing his Hoka Hey series T-Shirt with photo of Kiowa warrior Bobby Onco at the Wounded Knee Occupation of 1973 on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota. (Photo by Natahne Dennis.)
Exhibition Opening August 1st
Warrior Visions Exhibition
On view at the Shinnecock Museum
August 1, 2013—October 1, 2013
Opening Reception:
Saturday August 3, 2013, 6:30 p.m.—7:45 p.m.
For info on products & updates, visit:
Facebook.com/EvitanCouture
T he digital maps will document some of the complex
sociocultural changes that took place among New England’s
Indian community in the wake of European colonization.
Through these maps, new patterns of mobility and social
interaction at sea contribute to
a new understanding of the
diverse histories and culture of
New England’s indigenous
population. By examining the
maritime adaptations of social
networks as a response to
colonialism and land
dispossession during the
eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries, I can demonstrate
how these Indian travelers (as
part of the new maritime-
based fraternities/
communities) connected to
and expanded the indigenous
social sphere. My preliminary work opens up new
opportunities to examine, often in great detail, the nature and
extent of Indians’ global presence through their activities at
sea including their social interactions/relations, political
motivations/ideologies, and mobility/travel patterns.
[On his trip to Shinnecock]:
“I shared my findings from
Hawai’i and from the records
of the Customs District of New
London where many
Shinnecock and neighboring
Montauk whalemen appear. I
will leave with images of
Shinnecock whalers, images of
objects associated with their
maritime labor, documents,
stories, and – most
importantly – many new
friends.”
Indian Mariners Project comes to Shinnecock (Continued from page 5)
Dr. Jason Mancini (center) with Shinnecock Museum staff. (Photo By
Matthew Ballard.) To learn more visit:, www.IndianMarinersProject.com
News in Brief by T Tarrant
12th Annual Strawberry Harvest
Festival—This year at our annual
Strawberry Festival, visitors enjoyed local
organic strawberry short cake and dance
performances and storytelling in the
Wikun Village. We recently moved a
wigwam from the front lawn into the
Village adding to a beautiful backdrop.
4th of July Parade in Southampton—The
Shinnecock Nation in collaboration with the Shinnecock Nation
Cultural Center and Museum put
together it’s first 4th of July float
in over a decade. With Wikun
Village ingenuity, the 25 foot flat
bed donated by Riverhead Building
Supply, was transformed into a
1600s wigwam and shade arbor
where elders sat comfortably as they waved to the droves of
on lookers. Fifty or so
dancers followed behind
the float and drummers
as they sang and danced
the entire length of the
route. With
temperatures well over
85 degrees, a second
place prize in “best
float” was well earned.
VISIT US ONLINE:
ShinnecockMuseum.com
Shinnecock Dancers on Main Street Southampton.
Join our Mailing List
today. Use your
scanner app here: Facebook.com/ShinnecockMuseum
By Andrea Godoy Donor Recognition opportunities encourage, acknowledge and appreciate the individuals, families, foundations, businesses and corporations that participate in raising the $1.5 million it will take to ensure that the doors of the Museum and the Wikun Village remain open today and into the future. Donor recognition and naming opportunities help keep the story alive and inspire vision that will guide the future of the Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center and Museum.
Donor recognition includes: NAMING OPPORTUNITIES—for gifts at and over $100,000
PERMANENT RECOGNITION—for gifts from $10,000-$99,999
DONOR WALL—for donors at and over $5,000
HONOR ROLL AND CAMPAIGN PUBLICATIONS—all donors
To learn more contact Andrea Godoy Assistant Director at, 631. 887.9619 or [email protected].
Upcoming Events
Warrior Visions Reception
Saturday August 3rd, 6PM-7:45PM
Shinnecock Museum
Warrior Visions Exhibition Opening reception.
Clambake Fundraiser
Saturday August 10th, 5PM-9PM
Shinnecock Museum
The Wikun Village Staff are hosting a clambake dinner to
help fund their trip to the Aquinnah Wampanoag Powwow
September 10th –11th.
Museum Open House
Saturday August 17th, 11AM-5PM
Shinnecock Museum
Come visit the Shinnecock Museum with free entry into
the Museum and Wikun Village. Enjoy a complimentary
tour at 2PM and viewing of the Warrior Visions Exhibition.
New York City Native American
Week
Tuesday August 6th—Monday
August12th
Celebrate Native American heritage
by attending film showings, panel
discussions, gallery openings,
festivals and more! This week is
sponsored by The American Indian Community House,
Nativeone Institutional Trading, The Red Hawk Native
American Arts Council and Indian Country Today Media
Network. For more info visit: www.aich.org
67th Annual Shinnecock Powwow
Friday, August 30th –Monday, September 2nd.
Shinnecock Nation Powwow Grounds
The only powwow in the Hamptons, this powwow boasts
over 100 tribes represented in the dance arena, 100
Native arts and food vendors and over $50,000 in prize
money. Dancers and singers compete over the four-day
weekend performing traditional and contemporary style
dances from all across the country.
For more info call 631.283.6143
Donor Recognition for the Shinnecock Museum’s Journey Back Capital Campaign
join today!
Annual Membership Benefits
“Connect to 10,000 years of history by becoming a member of our Museum. Membership is open to the
public and allows you to directly support the vision of preservation, education and the promotion of
Shinnecock and Eastern Woodland Native Peoples
culture - past and present.”
Basic Membership Levels:
Individual ($45)
One (1) personalized membership card
Unlimited free general admission to the
Museum and Wikun Village
10% Discount on all Gift Shop purchases
Discounts on Museum programming
1 Year subscription of the Wikun News
quarterly newsletter
Member preferred registration for Museum
events and programs
Family ($75)
The benefits of an Individual Membership
A second personalized membership card (All secondary members must reside at the same
address as the primary membership holder.)
Free general admission for children under 18
(immediate family members)
Supporting Members Levels:
Donor ($100)
Two (2) Combo Tickets
Special Invitations to Museum Benefits
Patron ($250)
All the benefits of the Donor Level
Two (2) Additional Combo Tickets
Two (2) Guest Passes
Sustaining Members Levels:
Contributor ($500)
All the benefits of the Patron
A total of four (4) Guest passes
Your name (or business name) listed in all
Museum publications
A Family Level Membership donated on your
behalf to an East End family in need.
Benefactor ($1000)
All of the benefits of the Patron
Total of six (6) Guest Passes
A total of eight (8) Combo Tickets
Three (3) year membership with automatic
benefits renewal
25% Discount on Museum space rentals for
special events (subject to fees and availability)
Director’s Circle ($5,000 and up)
(All but $150 is tax-deductible)
All the perks of a sustaining member
An exclusive invitation for you and a guest to join the Director/Curator and a member of the
Executive Board of Directors for dinner.
A private Director-led tour of the Museum
facility.
Inclusion in our Donor Recognition Program and engraved name plate on our Donor Wall on the
main floor of the Museum.
Thank You for Your Support!
“Our members are vital to the continued growth of this organization and will help to support the Museum’s effort to meet the needs our diverse community for years to come.”
– David Martine, Director/Curator
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